A small town second chance romance that pulls on your heartstrings.
Marriage is never perfect and sometimes the struggles of marriage can feel overwhelming at times. And this book made those points beautifully. I found myself reflecting about my own marriage and getting emotional about our story. This was a beautiful story that was well told with great character development. It was realistic. So much so that my heart as aching for the main characters and their trails. I highly recommend reading this book!

4.5 stars.

Every since I originally read about Ellis and Wren "Still a Byrd" Byrd I have been so excited for their story and BOY did this not disappoint.

I am obsessed with this book. It makes me want to get married, get divorced, then force a second chance romance on my ex spouse a la ellis y wren. Your honor, I love them.

When these two fell in love as kids, had a kid in their teens, built a beautiful life together, then separated, they could never have expected to try and make it work again. As they are getting ready to drop their son off at college Ellis suggests he and Wren take a bit of an extended road trip after moving him in to celebrate the occasion and to maybe see if they could make a relationship between them work again. AND BOY DOES IT WORK.

I love a dual POV book and this was no exception. Wren and Ellis are both chomping at the bit for one another but they are both understandably scared to try and make this work because they have already dealt with the worst case scenario (losing each other). Swoony and tender, this was such a perfect love story. I keep thinking I dislike second-chance romances but books like this keep proving me wrong.

I loved how they tackled their issues head-on & didn't let either person shrug off what had bothered them about the other person or what a breaking point was for them the last go around. I am so in love with and obsessed with this book, I can't wait to get a physical copy to force lend to all my friends.

A massive thank you to St Martin's Press & NetGalley for giving an eARC so I could experience these mustached hunk and blonde maned beauty in all their glory.

Thank you so much to the author, publisher, and NetGalley foe the early chance to read and review “Left of Forever.”

Readers first were introduced to Wren and Ellis as important side characters in”Savor It” (FYI - you don't need to read Savor It to enjoye Left of Forever, but you definitely should because it is fantastic!) . As soon as I finished, I felt I needed to know more about Wren and Ellis and where there love took a wrong turn. This was one of my most anticipated 2025 reads and it did not disappoint. The love, longing, and tenderness between the characters came through every page. I loved how they communicated with each other, both about things they hadn’t discussed in the past but also about what they needed from each other going forward. I loved every minute of Wren’s and Ellis’ journey, both spiritual and actual, and I highly recommend this book. I have already pre-ordered the audio and can’t wait to listen to that when it releases. 5 stars.

PS. I feel like I need to hear more from Silas and Micah and would love to visit Spunes again!

The Byrd’s must be protected at all costs!! This story felt so unique and mature. A new take on getting a second chance. Something so much deeper. I loved reading about Ellis and Wren finding their way back to one another!

Left of Forever is a stand-alone sequel to Tarah DeWitt's Savor It. Do you need to read Savor It before you read this? No. But Savor It is so good, you'd only be hurting yourself. A second chance romance, Wren and Ellis Byrd have been divorced for five years when Ellis and Wren decide to see if their love is worth rekindling. I'm not usually a big fan of second chance, but Tarah DeWitt did it brilliantly, using shorter journal entries to reveal Wren and Ellis's past instead of doing a double timeline - which I loved.
I devoured this book. Ellis is a gooey cinnamon roll of a MMC who made me swoon. The banter? Perfect. The love story? Mouth watering. The pacing? Fast. Did I stay up until 4am to finish this book? Absolutely.
Bonus: There's a totally cute Co-Op cameo that warmed my heart.
4.25/5⭐️

4.5 stars, rounded up.

This would have been a 5 star read, but the spice was more prevalent and less easy to skip than I prefer.

I really enjoyed this book!

Wren and Ellis Byrd have been divorced for five years, but their lives have remained entangled because of their coparenting duties and shared community connections. Unable to escape one another, both Wren and Ellis have tried and failed to move on. When their son Sam gets into his dream college, the three of them pack up vehicles to drive him to school hours away. Ellis proposes a getaway for himself and Wren on the way back to their hometown after dropping Sam off at school. Along the way, Wren and Ellis rehash what went wrong in their relationship and address all the issues they couldn't fix the first time around.

I read a lot of romance books, and this was a standout for how romantic it was. This second-chance romance starts from a place of deep mutual pining. The main characters know each other and are involved in each others lives in numerous ways, which allows for a very deep emotional romance.

This book gave me butterflies and all the feels, and I highly recommend it!

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for the free eARC in exchange for my honest review!

DeWitt captured my attention immediately with her words and a well-crafted story. I enjoyed each bit of this book! I don't normally re-read books, but this is one I plan to! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This was a cute and light and fun second-chance romance. This was my first Tarah Dewitt book and I’ll be picking another up after this! Ellis and Wren were thrown together and forced to grow up far too young, and have been on eggshells around each other since. The cast of side characters was interesting, and I loved the addition of Kirby at the perfect moments. Watching Wren and Ellis realize they both still loved each other without even understanding, to having it come out when they finally let go and opened up was magical. And I loved the road trip idea so much, it made it extra fun! Super cute read!

Woooooow. Loved it. 😍
I loved the trope- divorced, second chance. This may have been the best “second chance” book I’ve read. It was done so tastefully… maybe a little far fetched but I didn’t care. I felt myself rooting for them. This author really pulled at my heartstrings… it’s like she knew what I wanted to see happen and put it on paper.

The last 10-15% of this book was so emotional I cried. There were also several steamy and romantic scenes, I made sure I was alone while reading this. Can’t say much more, just 5 ⭐️ all around.

I loved this book! Tarah Dewitt is one of my auto buy authors and she didn’t disappoint with this book. I enjoyed reading Savor It so was excited to get to see mentions of characters from that book. Wren and Ellis had great chemistry and seeing the work through their marriage was relatable and also heart warming. I want to read it again!

From the second we meet Wren "she's still a Byrd" Byrd and Ellis in Savor It, I knew I'd love their story. Fans of emotion vulnerability and second chances, this one is for you. We love a man who cries and goes to therapy. 🥹

The premise of this one is that Wren and Ellis have been divorced for five years and despite trying to move on (we see Wren have a bad date or two), they just can't. They begin to tentatively make their way back towards each other in such a gentle and respectful way initially that had me screaming JUST KISS HIM!!!

These are characters who know how to love and understand each other (and love each other 🌶️) but who are getting back to a place where the can relearn how to talk to each other during a chosen forced proximity trip after dropping their son off at college.

It's very special and I'm so grateful to Tarah, Netgalley and St Martin's to have snagged this arc on "read now" on netgalley!! Okay see ya gonna go cry some more

A second chance romance following Wren and Ellis from Savor It on roadtrip after dropping their son off at college. The first one-third of the book sets the stage by providing us with information about where Wren and Ellis are now and provides us with a reconnection point for them. The last two-thirds follows them on their road trip back to Spunes after dropping their son off at college. Generally, I enjoyed this story and was happy to be back with these characters in Spunes (and on the road)! I find second chance romances to be the hardest sells as you need to provide us with a reason that the characters aren't together that doesn't make one of them irredeemable. DeWitt does strikes this balance nicely and I found the reason they broke-up plausible and relatable without either party being "at fault." Most of my issues with the book are problems that I tend to have with all second chance romances. Since this book does not use dual timelines, it relies on the narrators recounting to us memories of their relationship to provide us with context as to why they broke up. This can lead to the author telling rather than showing us why these characters love each other. However, I do think that the use of Wren's journal served as a nice mechanism to give readers information, while still serving to move the plot forward. These characters have a lot of history and chemistry that sets up a beautiful second chance love story. I only wish that we saw a little more of that in the present, rather than relying on stories from the past to show us how in love they are.

ARC REVIEW ✨

Left of Forever by Tarah DeWitt

“This time, they’ll get it right.”

Rating: 5⭐️
Genre: Romance
Yes, no, or maybe: 100% YES

Read if you like:
-second chance romance
-emotional reads
-road trips (physical and emotional)
-“it was always you”

WOW!! This book is 10/10! Highly recommend! Amazing! Beautiful! Poetic! I don’t think I can say enough good things about Ms. DeWitt. I loved everything about Wren and Ellis’ second chance at love. The story as a whole is completely character driven and focused. This one is for the hopeless romantics ♥️

Wren and Ellis had been in love since they were children. They went through a lot of tough times, having a baby as teens, his parents passing away, and Wren having a serious medical emergency (just to name a few). Life beat them down and in the end, life won. But!!! 5 years later!!! They go on a road trip to drop their son off at college and see if either had fully closed the door on their relationship. Is there hope???

Ellis is swoon worthy. Wren is strong and witty. I loved everything about their emotional trip into the past and seeing if there could be a future or if there were too many hurts. Their love is a once in a life time love story. The writing is just beautiful. I was so invested in seeing their HEA.

Favorite quotes: (there were too many)

“All I know is that if I found out heaven was real and got there first? I’d hang back in the waiting room and save you a seat.”

“If you won’t have me back anymore, then I’ll find you in the next life. You are the only thing that makes me believe in that.”

You NEED to preorder Left of Forever! You won’t regret it.

Oh, my heart, 4.5 stars. I absolutely loved Ellis and Wren's story. This book felt like it was written with such care for the characters and for the audience. Ellis and Wren were both so emotionally vulnerable throughout the book and they did an amazing job communicating their raw feelings with each other without the intention of manipulation or malice. I love a book with emotionally intelligent characters. They were both great main characters and I couldn't help but root for them, individually, as parents, and as a couple. Tarah DeWitt did an awesome job building in an added layer of complexity with Wren being so entwined with the Byrd family. Silas's speech at the end was probably one of the sweetest things I've ever read.

If you are looking for a heartwarming second chance romance story with a little bit of spice, you need to read this. This has been my favorite Tarah DeWitt book so far, well done!

Which one of the Byrd siblings is up next?!?! I hope it's Silas.

Format: ebook

Thank you so much NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc!

First, a massive thank you to NetGalley for inviting me back to Spunes (not to be confused with Forks) and allowing me to devour this arc. I knew from the moment I met Wren and Ellis in Savor It, that I needed to know their history and I needed their happily ever after. I am so beyond grateful that I was able to be one of the first to tear up over their beautiful second chance romance.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (If I could give this more than five stars I would.)
Spice : 🌶️🌶️

I couldn’t honestly tell you what I loved most about this book, because I loved EVERY SINGLE WORD. Though, I could list just a few things that made my heart flutter. The yearning. The longing. The aquarium. The small touches. The journal entries. The “nothing we haven’t done before” challenge. The little CO-OP easter egg with Deacon & LaRynn!!! The peppered doodle. The family dynamic. (I would give anything to be a part or even just know a family like the Byrds) Oddly enough, even the miscommunication and how they both still wanted to hold one another after five long years but didn’t think the other wanted the same had my heart galloping.

& Ellis. This man had me in a heart-wrenching chokehold. His love for Wren was fiercer than any I’ve ever read & the fact that he acknowledged that his inability to communicate or show Wren how he felt was a big part of their failed marriage was refreshing. He knew that he had to work on himself before he even attempted to work on winning back the love of his life and he did it all and then some.

Ahh, I just can’t. This book was everything I needed. Tarah has quickly become my favorite auto-buy author and I’m fairly certain this book altered my brain chemistry. I CANNOT WAIT for the audiobook so I can replay it as much as I replay Savor It.

Also, I know Tarah said she originally had no plans to revisit Spunes, but I hope the potential for Silas’ story and even Sam speak to her as much as Ellis & Wren’s did. I would give anything for a full Spunes series & I mean anything!!!

Cue the waterworks, I couldn’t help but shed a few happy tears. This was the absolute sweetest second chance! Wren and Ellis FOREVER!!

We all wanted more of Wren and Ellis in Savor It and I am so happy to say their story did not disappoint. We get to see how they hurt each other in the past, but also how they had continued to long for each other after they got divorced. How they were truly meant for each other, and had to learn how to communicate, and how to fight for each other.

There was so many sweet swoony moments that gave me butterflies, but also plenty of humor. I mean the onions and the ice cream….. We can probably all stand to learn a little something from their relationship. And can we talk about the Byrd family for one minute. They are the best! It was fun to read more about all the siblings and see Sage and Fischer again. I really hope we get more books from them!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tarah Dewitt for the absolute pleasure of reading this book that has altered my very DNA. What a gift.

I thought I knew what it meant to yearn for something, but then I met Ellis and Wren Byrd. They gave it a whole new meaning. My heart was in tatters more times than I could count at how deeply and earnestly they wanted each other - scars and all - even when they didn’t feel like they should or could. I also found myself giddily kicking me feet and smiling at just how GOOD these two are together - the banter, the flirting, the hand written letters, the intimacy, all of it was nothing short of perfection.

I knew from the minute Ellis demanded that “She’s still a Byrd” in Savor It that I needed his story with Wren, but I didn’t know how much I also truly needed it for me.

As a mom deep in the trenches of trying to balance marriage and motherhood with babies and toddlers and life pulling me in a million directions, reading about Wren and Ellis falling apart gave me the motivational kick in the ass I sometimes need to remember that communication is important, and that the good times are worth remembering more than the bad. That love isn’t enough if you aren’t brave enough to fight for it and put in the work, but it’s work worth doing. I’ll be sure to do that more now.

Tarah Dewitt writes characters that are so fully fleshed out that they feel like your lifelong friends, and then she splits them open and lets you see all the broken ugly bits inside that make them even more real.

I already can’t wait to go back to Spunes. Mostly because I’m now fully obsessed with and invested in both Silas and Micah, but also because I want to revisit my friends Sage, Fisher, Ellis, and Wren.

Second chance romance is my favorite trope and ugh I loved Wren and Ellis so much. I was already interested in their story after reading Savor It and was thrilled to find out they were getting their own book. I loved the way the book was set up and the story itself was beautiful. It’s hard to put into words how much I enjoyed reading this book and how it felt to see Wren and Ellis find their way back to each other. Beautiful.

Tarah Dewitt brings us back to Sprunes, Oregan in this second chance romance where we follow Wren and Ellis on their journey to a second chance at their love! They have been divorced for five years and nave an 18 year old son, sam who just recently graduated high school. The two find themselves pulled together by family to celebrate their son and to give their relationship another try.
If you love a MMC who is completely head over heels for the FMC this is a must read. It definitely gave me,
"Parent Trap" vibes in the sense that they were on a vineyard and some fun loving family members have a little hand in making things happen.....a one bed trope perhaps!
Communication is a relevant theme of this book even when it's hard. I loved watching Wren and Ellis heal themselves and their relationship. This will be a great read for the summer it is lighthearted but also not afraid to face the hard stuff in love and relationships that is all so relatable in the real world and to see it take place in a romance book was the cherry on top.
I highly recommend this book and
@authortarahdewitt! I want more of her writing and hope we can get more of Sprunes and the Byrd family in the future!
A five star read with all of the spice and stars!!!

Left of Forever is a captivating and beautifully crafted love story that will tug at your heartstrings. The emotional depth and raw vulnerability between the two main characters make this a truly exceptional second-chance romance. I was particularly drawn to how their relationship evolved and how they navigated the delicate balance of mending past wounds while also discovering new firsts with each other.

What I found especially moving was the respectful way in which both characters fought for their love, acknowledging the mistakes of the past while choosing to rediscover and grow together. Their journey of rekindling the sparks of their initial connection was incredibly touching, as they learned to love each other all over again with a sense of curiosity and admiration.

Left of Forever is a must-read. If you enjoyed The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce, you will definitely appreciate this novel. It offers a heartfelt and fulfilling experience that resonates long after you've turned the final page.